LSAMP: Islands of Opportunity Alliance

University Of Hawaii At Hilo, Hilo HI

Investigators

Abstract

Project Summary The Pacific region has a rich treasury of people from diverse backgrounds who are unfortunately underrepresented in the sciences, but who have great potential to contribute to society in STEM areas if the barriers and obstacles that exist are ameliorated and appropriate opportunities are provided to encourage students success. Special barriers include isolation, often inadequate resources for secondary level science education, insufficient ability for remediation of science and mathematics skills in colleges, and a resulting "leaky pipeline" of students from underrepresented groups who graduate in the STEM disciplines. We propose establishment of an Islands of Opportunity Alliance within the Louis Stokes-Alliances for Minority Participation Program of NSF to help staunch the leaks in the pipeline through fulfilling four specific objectives. Our first objective is to set up Alliance activities that will improve recruitment of underrepresented students into STEM majors at Alliance schools through the establishment of bridge programs, improved articulation agreements for science courses among Alliance campuses, and creation of targeted recruitment activities. Our second objective is to provide research and/or internship experiences for these undergraduate students in STEM fields. Our third objective is to improve retention of underrepresented students through graduation with a baccalaureate degree in STEM fields through improved advising, mentorship programs, peer tutoring, academic skills workshops, establishment of an annual Alliance conference for students and faculty, and creation of communication outlets for Alliance members, including a newsletter and web site. Our fourth objective is to improve instruction in STEM fields through faculty development including cultural awareness workshops, summer research opportunities, bown bag seminars and new faculty orientation workshops. Intellectual Merit The Islands of Opportunity Alliance builds upon the successes of past and current LSAMP Programs throughout the country, utilizing practices that have been shown to best accomplish the primary goal of increasing graduation rates of underrepresented students in STEM fields. The Alliance has adapted these best practices to the unique cultural and geographic setting of the Pacific region, utilizing the extensive scholarship on crosscultural communication and on learning styles of islander peoples, and administrative structures that have succeeded in spanning the vast distances between islands. Broader Impact Hawaii and the Pacific region in general spans a large proportion of the globe, having great strategic, economic, and cultural significance for the nation. The people of the Pacific are an important resource for the U.S. who can provide greater contributions to economic, intellectual and scientific growth at local and national levels. The Pacific peoples have used native scientific principles to navigate over thousands of miles of ocean in what may be considered one of the wonders of human achievement. They have much more to offer the world in the coming century.